1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a releasable ski-pole strap means, and more particularly to a safety, releasable, ski-pole strap device that includes a multi-looped releasable strap adapted to disconnect from the pole and/or the skier's wrist under any adverse conditions and at any angle of stress applied thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known in the art, various problems and difficulties are encountered in providing suitable means for releasably attaching ski poles to a skier's wrists, particularly under adverse and abnormal conditions.
Several types of releasable devices have been unsuccessfully tried, and others are presently being used that still do not provide the most efficient operable modes, and/or are operable only when stress is placed thereon under specific conditions. Many of these devices are very expensive to manufacture.
Various ski-pole attachments comprising handgrips, break-away handgrips, straps, and break-away straps are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,378,273; 3,451,688; 3,880,443; 3,540,751; 3,982,747 and 3,995,872.
Originally, straps were permanently fastened to the handgrips or to the ski-pole itself. This was to prevent the skiers from losing their ski-poles when they fell while skiing. However, the skier soon realized that, if the ski-pole was accidently engaged in an obstruction, it could very readily cause injury to a wrist, finger, arm or shoulder, since the strap was unyieldingly anchored to the pole and the skier's wrist.
Thus, many devices have been created to also protect the skier, as indicated in the above-identified issued patents. Hence, numerous developments have occurred in break-away handgrips and break-away straps; but--due to either complexity of design, expensive material, or high labor costs--they have not generally met with public approval or use. Other units have been designed with mechanical parts that can break, jam-up, or easily be lost if the skier takes a hard fall.
Most break-away handgrips or break-away strap devices have some type of hard and hazardous material (such as metal, wood or hard plastic) that could also cause injury to the skier while the device is being released, or if the skier should fall on the device. Also, the majority of break-away straps and grips are force-fitted, which presents some difficulty for a young skier while applying and releasing the device. Another problem with the straps presently on the market is that they do not have a suitable releasable loop to fit the wrist area. Thus, if the skier should accidentally get a tree branch caught in the loop, it could possibly cause serious injury. Furthermore, the majority of break-away straps or grips will only release in a certain direction, angle, or axis from the ski-pole, thus again posing the problem of possible injury to the skier.